Why aren't teachers providing lessons by Skype?

[Folicky]

If schools are to close, which they will eventually, why don't they teach the lessons via a video link / Skype? At the moment, as I understand it, if schools close, parents - many of whom will be working from home - will he expected to home school their children. How is that going to work?

If a teacher does not wish to work from home, that is absolutely fine. They should then be placed on unpaid furlough until September. Staff in any other position who are able to work from home are expected to do so.

The savings from the wages of teachers choosing not to work can then be diverted to pay for private tutors.

I've reviewed huge swathes of legislation on smart phone when our system went down. But that's besides the point. Surely most teachers have to mark assignments anyway?

If Ohio can't even do a recorded video from home then she could be the exception and placed on sick leave or have a colleague cover it. But just as all in my public sector team are havjbg to get used to video meetings at home, this should be doable for nearly everyone.

I agree that those who won't find a way to keep teaching ( with the exception of Ohio) should be put on unpaid leave until the schools reopen. In industry and the rest of the public sector we are all cracking on.

There are plenty of other methods of distance learning that teachers are involved in at the moment, other than by video.

Many schools have been accused of setting too much work. Others of not enough. We can't win.

Wow!! Doesn't this thread just scream "I HATE TEACHERS" if some of you think you can sort it out so fricken easily then why are you not in education!!?? Bloody hell!

I don't hate teachers. I am just flabbergasted that we have just been cut adrift by the school. I can't think of any good reason for it. I've had to keep doing my (high pressure) job, and home educate, and grieve for my granny who died last week and support elderly family members. So the lack of output has stunned me.

Universities often do teach by Skype sad video, and some have for some time.

I was assuming we would get some kind of daily contact as a minimum. An email from each class teacher at the very least. It's shitty for my children, they are struggling with all this change and it's just been silence from school. They've both cried about missing their teachers but heard nothing from them at all.

Tbh honest it's not even about work, even a bit of pastoral support - a message or two encouraging the children - would be a start.

I absolutely agree zero contact from school is unacceptable.
I don't agree the alternative is video however, we have lots of ways to post work that can then be returned to us. We would not normally mark every students work every week, no, but would give feedback in the course of a lesson - through talking about their work with them or class and individual discussions.

Hi All ,
I live in East London and my daughter is 10 year 5.
She was sent home with a small about of work but given work to do online ( that’s if you have a iPad, Lap top and WiFi, and to be honest not all homes have this .
However I have a friend who lives in London but her child the same age as mine goes to Private school .She told me that the school is providing online lessons from 8.30 am to 3 pm each day ( not weekend ) ???
She said so they don’t loose the school fees ?
So if you can pay then your child will still be educated ??
How can this be Right ???

Nevertwerk I would get in touch with the school and ask them what the plans are.
I'm sorry for your loss

@avamiah

It is not right at all- I refuse to believe that it is not possible for state schools to provide a full online timetable of lessons.

The issue to me seems to be lazy teachers who are expecting to sit on their arses for the next 6 months and recalcitrant unions who will not accept change.

I'd be making it plain and simple that the options are: 1. Do your jobs or 2. Go on unpaid furlough until September. The money save could then be used to bring in private tutors who are willing to actually do some work.

StormyClouds,
Yes your right .
It’s totally unacceptable that teachers will be paid full wages but our children will not be learning .
Yes schools may of set up online homework but let’s be honest it’s not the same as online lessons were you can see your teacher.
On another note , my daughter has started online dance classes ( 12 kids each class) at £3 for 40 mins via the Zoom App with her dance teacher who was self employed.
Surely schools can set up the Zoom App and teach classes as they are being paid and always have been paid on school holidays .
It’s now theirs time to Stand up and speak out and teach our children their pupils In this Crisis .

@StormyClouds you've said pretty much the exact same thing on every post you've made on this thread 😂 We get it.
I'm sorry your son's teachers aren't doing much, but I am doing plenty. Ring the school and speak to them, rather than being a dick about the rest of us.

Who are these "lazy teachers" you are talking about Stormy and why are you so obsessed with getting overseas private tutors to teach online?

Responses from school teachers here show that there are plenty of schools who have plans in place during our current situation, and posters have already said more than once why they are not allowed to do live lessons.

Both of my DCS have received plenty of work to keep them busy for the next few weeks, and school staff have kept in touch on a regular basis this week. We had a lovely email from DD's French teacher congratulating her on her excellent assessment result and giving her positive encouragement to boost her morale.

The headmaster also sent at least 3 emails last week. Next week would have been the Easter holiday so they have informed us that they wouldn't be setting work then. Fair enough I say.

I have also seen threads about teachers setting too much work, and sending a "shitty" email congratulating students who have completed the work, and telling those who haven't, that the work will not be covered in class upon return.

It doesn't matter what teachers do, some people are so determined to hate and blame them.

1. Please contact the school. It's not right your children have received nothing.

1. Most schools are sending out work and messages. Please don't tar all teachers with the same brush.

Again for the benefit of @StormyClouds, I will repeat (as obviously my caps didn’t work last time) ...

I teach in a state school.

I am teaching Yr 9, 10 and 12 live.

I am setting remote learning for Yr 7 and 8.

I am having twice weekly tutor sessions with my form, a weekly staff and department meeting.

I am doing this whilst also looking after my own young children.

Complain to your own children’s school. Don’t come on here spouting shit you know nothing about.

I am working my fucking arse off!

But @StormyClouds will no doubt ignore my words again because they only want to see/hear what they want to.

I emailed every parent in my school about the (core) subject that I lead. I asked what we could do to improve what we were doing. At that point only online learning and feedback set each week so that students could work at their own pace.

3% replied and we have accommodated what they want. Currently we are all working on making our resources and lessons for when we go back as strong as possible.

I do this at night or when my children are having down times

I worry that there is going to be major inequality - some children will do little to no school work at all. I can see some students haven't even logged in to the work I've set

This could be because they don't have the resources to access it so I will send work to them in the post.

There is a story in a paper I would never link to (an upset colleague sent me) showing the food that the free school means students were being given and it was shameful.

What do you want us to do?! I am trying my hardest. It's heartbreaking to see what is happening to our vulnerable families.

I really don't think many of you appreciate what goes on outside of your social setting.

Also work in a state school. I teach year 10-13. All classes are having some form of live lesson or pre-recorded audio PowerPoint. Work set is being marked.
We are setting subject-related enrichment activities for the Easter “holidays” to stave off boredom and help to give them something to do.
We are in touch with the kids every day with a pre-recorded daily prayer and wellbeing tips.
Our teachers were falling over themselves to volunteer to work with the vulnerable and key worker children, and those working from home are working hard to provide an education.
I don’t know what the obsession with video is. We are all in contact with the kids we teach during their timetabled lesson slot. I don’t see why it matters whether that’s through a video call, an audio call or through the text chat function in Teams.
Some schools don’t seem to have done much home learning. I’m glad that we have, but I think you have to bear in mind that some HTs will have listened to the speech by Gavin Williamson that said that the purpose of schools now is to provide childcare for key workers, not to educate, and that home learning would come from people like the BBC. Schools were not asked to do home learning and it’s possible that some LAs have explicitly asked them not to.

It keeps being asked why aren't we 'live' teaching; you are aware that a large number of us are going in to be childcare? How can I live teach when I have 20 kids of different abilities and ages in room doing different work?

My department of 19 currently has 11 teachers than can work; others are ill and 1 has a child in hospital. 17 of us have our own children. We are doing exactly what the head asked; not quite the amount we would expect in lesson, but work that they can self mark, alternated by automarking quizzes on things like Seneca and work they take a photo of to upload on Google classroom. Live teaching would not work as I could name you 20 kids I teach that don't reliably have money for the electricity meter, let alone a device each can use. We sent home thousands of workpacks (massive school). We set up Google Classroom and made sure everyone could use Seneca etc but there genuinely is a limit to what we can do. I'm suppose to phone home for everyone of my students who haven't logged on and uploaded a photo of their first task/been on Seneca etc. You know how many phone calls I'm to make? 179. 179 students from Y7 and Y10. And thatvisnt including the year groups I over see, just the ones I teach. Thankfully my A level have been working....

Now, let's get back to the idea of live teaching. There is zero chance of me filming myself for students without very robust safeguards for me and them in place, and my school does not have them. The number of times we've had students film us in lesson and put it online, take photos of us in lesson and even around the supermarket with no or little consequence? Not a chance. Even in the first week of March we had students sending each other edited photos of a colleagues wedding that they managed to track down, even though no-one uses their real name on social media etc. Those who want teachers fully online have no idea how poorly behaved some kids cam be with this technology.

Does anyone want to know how many abusive emails I've had this week from parents? I'm having demands for my personal phone number to explain some very straight forward work, being told that I will be reported to OFSTED for not providing work on a peach background (I can't change the colour of Google Classroom...) and, my favourite, being told to get off my arse to mark work that was submitted before the deadline after 8pm.

And you should read some of the comments from some of our 'characters' on Google Classroom about where we can stick our work.

I'm very glad my kids don't have live online teaching.
Our internet is slow (below 1mbps-people saying you don't need fast internet for Skype are talking rubbish)
We have 2 laptops- 1 I need for work, the other they are taking in turns to download work etc. Online live teaching would be totally impossible for us.

I think my kids teachers are setting a perfect range of things for them to do, according to their age.
When this is over I will be sending my thanks, along with chocolate to each member of staff.

Stormy, my pupils almost have English as a second language. The majority are new to English. Most live in absolute poverty. I have already had to take home two little Slovakian pupils who turned up at school this morning in unsuitable clothing who wandered out of the house alone and saw lights on in school, without a clue of what's going on. I will spend the rest of the morning doing welfare phonecalls and distributing food vouchers. I will go to bed worrying about the ones I did not get through to.
Please, in your infinite wisdom, explain to me how I can set up a full timetable of lessons to my pupils as I would really like to know.

Stormy watch that online video skitty on Facebook where a teacher takes a class only. That's why I won't do online lessons.
It may work in a small class of 10 but not my apathetic class of 33. They would mute me for a start not to mention I don't want them to see my bedroom. ( I don't have anywhere else) Major boundary issues.

Sure you are being goady for entertainment though. You should try online yoga.